Jets Head to Miami for a Very Winnable Game

It’s probably time to accept that every week, all season, after a Jets loss is going to be somewhat similar to the one the Jets just had. After falling to the Steelers on the road, a loss in which there theoretically should be no shame, the Jets have had to deal with a new influx of Tim Tebow questions, concerns that Mark Sanchez has a hurt back/isn’t the quarterback to lead this team (marking the 54th consecutive week that question has been asked) and more Darrelle Revis concussion aftereffects. The Jets are the sort of team that people, fans and media, are waiting to see lose just so they can be classified a team of discord. So they better keep winning, lest they become that.

This week is one of those that the Jets have everything to lose. The “nice” thing about the loss to the Steelers was that the Jets were playing house money; they weren’t expected to beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, so when they didn’t, there was no permanent damage to the season. This week, they play the Miami Dolphins, and this is the sort of game that a team with any sort of playoff aspirations needs to win. There aren’t ever any “easy” games on an NFL schedule, but there are those you can’t afford to drop. According to our calculations, the Jets have six more of these, counting this one. Those are seven absolutely Should Wins, the ones you can build on as long as you don’t lose any of those. So the pressure is on. Though with the Jets, it’s always on.

One advantage to playing the Dolphins, though: They’re a team that’s probably going through more turmoil than the Jets. Their embattled — and, by all accounts, incompetent — general manager Jeff Ireland had to apologize for calling a fan an “asshole” this week, and the general consensus is that every day he’s on the job adds an extra month of cleanup work for whomever inevitably takes over for him. That said, the Dolphins did win last week, and they’re at the same 1-1 everyone else in the AFC East is at.

Revis should be back, and if there were ever a game for offensive coordinator Tony Sparano to show his stuff, it’d be against the team that just fired him. The Dolphins, despite the win, are an organization in chaos, and seem primed for the Jets to get themselves well in the process. By the way: If there’s ever a week you see a lot more Tebow, it’s probably this one. Either way, we don’t think this’ll be much of a problem. Jets 27, Dolphins 13.